The present invention concerns an elevator with a car operating panel to register elevator calls
In the new generations of inexpensive elevators for small buildings, the concept of a car operating panel with a keypad exhibiting ten digits (0 to 9) was introduced. This 10 digits-keypad system has reached the target of a unique factory produced car operating panel for all elevators, with evident cost and logistic advantages.
As an added feature, due to the presence of a 10 digits-keypad and several displays, the car panel could also be used as a maintenance tool.
Unfortunately, together with the advantages concerning the logistic and maintenance, derived by the fact that always the same car operating panel can be delivered, some important and advantageous features of the old customized car operating panels have been lost.
Unequivocal action of a button: a button identified by a certain number or letter had in the past only the function to place a call to the floor corresponding to said number. With a 10 digits-keypad solution this is no longer possible, since the button identified by the number 1, for example, is used in combination with other buttons to place elevator calls to the floors “1x” and “x1”.
Multi-button input: the user interface of the elevator was a one-action machine-man interface. With a 10 digits-keypad solution the user interface of the elevator becomes a two-action machine-man interface, since, for example, to place a call to the floors 10 and above, the user must push two buttons sequentially.
Optical acknowledgment: Because one button serves for different inputs, the optical acknowledgment of a pressed button and of a registered call would be equivocal.
Limits of the shaft: these are with a 10 digits-keypad solution no longer recognizable. The user cannot recognize if the uppermost floor of a building is the floor 6, 7, 10 or 12 for example.
Nonexistent floors: the indication of all the 10 digits (0 to 9) on the car operating panel disturbs the customers possessing elevators in buildings with only few floors, since they get confused by the presence of the highest digits (9, 8 . . . ), which do not correspond to any floor in the building.
It is necessary therefore to develop a standard car operating panel, which can be fully customized at the elevator installation itself and does not need special customizing operations in the factory. Said car operating panel can preferably be used without adding special components and exhibits also preferably a maintenance interface to change the elevator parameters.
An attempt to attain these goals is for example shown in German patent document DE 19539288 C2, in which a freely configurable and customizable car operating panel for an elevator is disclosed, which exhibits freely programmable touch sensitive buttons and a maintenance mode for elevator service.
Such a car operating panel exhibits, however, the disadvantages to be expensive, not user-friendly, complex to be configured, and not esthetically attractive. Furthermore, this apparatus exhibits a difficult fabrication and assembly and cannot be produced using well-established components. The advantages for logistic are therefore lost. This apparatus, furthermore, does not conform to the norms concerning handicapped people, since blind people cannot recognize by tact the floor numbers on the keyboard. According to the standards EN 81-70, these requirements must be fulfilled for elevator push buttons: an operating force between 2.5 and 5 N, an operating and registration feedback and floor numbers in relief with a minimal height of 0.8 mm.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a car operating panel for an elevator installation which is freely configurable, inexpensive, user-friendly, conform to the norms concerning handicapped people, assembled using well-established standard components and esthetically attractive for the users.